Intervention at the Old Course?

The Whiffler has been known to take shots at Sergio Garcia from time to time – primarily in regard to his occasionally sour disposition and his penchant for excuse-making. But there's no denying his talent (not to mention is flair) and I find it a bit of a shame that he hasn't capitalized more on his enormous potential. It's not like he hasn't accomplished anything; he has 19 professional wins around the world, including 7 on the PGA Tour.

     But in some ways, he seems to have fallen a long way since he nearly knocked off Tiger Woods in the 1999 PGA Championship. Back then he was a fountain of boundless energy and unbridled joy who seemed destined to step up and challenge Tiger for golf's top spot. Today he is a grouchy old man of 30 mired in a pitiful slump who seems to have lost all of that joy and much of that energy. He's no longer the "Best Player Never To Have Won a Major." Not because he finally won one, but because he's just not that good right now. (Image: Getty Images via golfdigest.com)

     But I love stories of redemption (which is why I'm still rooting for Tiger to turn things around, though more in his personal life than on the golf course). So I was intrigued to read this item in the "Local Knowledge" blog at golfdigest.com. Apparently, some people close to Sergio decided he needed a kick in the pants about his attitude and had a few words with him:

"You don't need to know, but it was people that I care about and people that care about me, and that's the important stuff," Garcia said when asked who spoke to him. "It's probably because it was the kind of day where I was really, really angry at myself, and it kind of made me feel a little better and probably realize things. I'm just hoping that I can keep doing the same things."

The Friday night "intervention" apparently had an effect, as the passionate Spaniard was reportedly much more upbeat following his Saturday round of 70 (after back-to-back 71s to start off the week). His eventual T14 finish was his best in a major since his tie for 10th at the 2009 U.S. Open. (Not a long stretch, I know, but his performance in majors has been very erratic for years.)

     Hopefully, he will be able to "keep doing the same things," whatever those may be. It seems like he's been around forever, but he's only 30. And the recent and long-overdue success of Justin Rose, another former boy-wonder who celebrated his 30th this year, is why we shouldn't give up on Sergio. If he can shed a few of his demons and gain some proper perspective, maybe he can yet become a great player.

     There's plenty of time left. And admitting you have a problem, as they say, is a big first step.